Basement and storage break-ins are all too commonplace, for instance in apartment buildings. Usually these spaces have been forcefully entered by breaking the door, or by breaking the lock in the door. In order to prevent break-ins, various types of burglar alarms can be installed into basement and storage doors, for instance, systems using codes, electric locks, access control systems, or coded keys.
However, installing such systems is expensive and troublesome. The system in use must be so simple, that all the residents can learn to use it and there is a great danger with systems based on different codes due to the number of residents, in that the deactivation code of the alarm may fall into the wrong hands when residents change. Also the code keys can be lost, which leads to significant costs when a large number of keys must be replaced.
Burglar alarm systems installed in apartment doors have the same kind of problems as the alarm systems installed into basement and storage spaces. Especially children and elderly people have difficulties in learning to use difficult systems properly, and carrying extra code keys is a risk.
An additional problem of many burglar alarm systems is that users do not remember to activate them when they leave the space monitored by the alarm system.